


Symbiosis

by AirgiodSLV



Series: 28 Lotrips AUs Challenge [23]
Category: The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-11
Updated: 2006-05-11
Packaged: 2019-07-20 12:43:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16137494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AirgiodSLV/pseuds/AirgiodSLV
Summary: “Don’t lie to me when you know I can fucking catch you doing it,” Elijah snarled, and ten seconds later Dom heard the front door slam.





	Symbiosis

**Author's Note:**

> AU #22, for [](https://juweldom.livejournal.com/profile)[juweldom](https://juweldom.livejournal.com/)

_It’s generally considered a bad idea for two known psychic talents to become romantically involved with each other._

“Dom, did you take the trash out?” Elijah asked, and Dom froze guiltily, remembering too late what Elijah had asked him three times to be sure to do that morning.

“Yes,” he answered hastily, frantically planning a way to get the bags out of the house before Elijah noticed, and to take them to be disposed of in the morning.

Elijah appeared in the doorway, and too late Dom realized that his mind was wide open, unshielded, and the falsehood must have spiked on Elijah’s mental radar like a solar flare.

“Don’t lie to me when you know I can fucking catch you doing it,” Elijah snarled, and ten seconds later Dom heard the front door slam.

_Strictly speaking, it’s not against the rules, but it is frowned upon by psychic experts and the administrations that employ them, who consider it unwise, believing it has an unhealthy effect on the mental health of the individuals involved._

“What is this?” Dom asked, pulling the carton of ice cream out of the battered paper bag and frowning at the label. “I thought I asked you to get sherbet.”

“You said sherbet, but you were thinking ice cream,” Elijah said, frowning. “I thought you just felt guilty about asking for it because I’d been teasing you about your weight last week.”

Dom slammed the carton onto the counter, grinding his teeth. “I said sherbet because I’m supposed to stay off lactose for the week,” he snapped. “Next time, stay the hell out of my head and listen to what I’m fucking saying to you for once.”

He shoved the bag away, stalking off and shutting himself in the bedroom before Elijah could recover from his shock enough to offer an apology.

_The emotional needs of psychics are different than those of ordinary people, and they need to be cared for by someone who has a thorough knowledge and understanding of their unique psychology, as well as a stable psychiatric foundation._

“God, Dom, Dom,” Elijah moaned, his heel slipping a little in the small of Dom’s back as they rocked together. Elijah’s mind was almost completely merged with his, their boundaries dissolving, and Dom could feel himself stretching Elijah as easily as he could feel Elijah surrounding him.

“Fuck,” Dom whispered, and somehow an image appeared suddenly behind his closed eyes, of the smile of one of the young psi-studies lab techs, the lanky one with the brown curls and sun-kissed skin.

Elijah went rigid beneath him, and Dom knew he’d seen it, that their thoughts were skittering against each other now like shards of ice. He felt Elijah’s rage pulse hot and red, and then Elijah contracted around him, his hand pulling Dom down to hiss fiercely into his ear.

“If I catch him in your mind again, I swear to God I’ll take you apart,” Elijah whispered, and then he shoved Dom onto his back and rode him until there was nothing left in their thoughts but ecstasy and each other.

_It is thought to be detrimental for two individuals with the same mental imbalance to share close quarters, as the stress may prove too great for any sort of healthy relationship, and the psychological demands would be multiplied instead of balanced, as they would be by an individual without psychic abilities._

Dom felt Elijah’s turmoil before Elijah even opened the front door, swirling around him like a storm of pain and anger. Dom’s head snapped up and fixed on the door, and as soon as Elijah opened it the feeling increased, fully supported by the look on Elijah’s face.

“What is it?” he asked, but Elijah went straight past him, towards the bedroom. Dom was up off the couch within seconds, but not before the door shut firmly and the lock clicked into place on the other side.

“Elijah,” Dom called, and reached out with his mind, only to be rebuffed by frigid cold, a wall of ice around Elijah’s mind without cracks, solid enough to keep Dom from reading even a hint of his thoughts. He pounded on the door and yelled, worry and concern rising in his mind with every second that Elijah remained a blank, cold slate against his senses.

Elijah didn’t open the door for over an hour, and when he did his expression was neutral, his mental shields still in place, and he wouldn’t say a word.

_But sometimes, the need of a psychic for sympathy and understanding is greater than their need for balance, and in these cases they may be driven to seek out others with their particular mental abilities for affirmation and reassurance, forging stronger bonds mentally and physically with their own kind._

“Rough day?” Elijah murmured as they lay together, his hand gentle in Dom’s hair, stroking his skull and cradling Dom’s head against his chest.

Dom didn’t say anything, the accusations and fear-filled looks still fresh in his mind, the hate radiating off of the protesters once they’d seen that he was there as a representative for psi-studies, marked with a purple badge as one of the gifted. He turned his face closer, pressing his cheek against Elijah’s bare skin, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

“It hurts,” he whispered finally, after long minutes of nothing but their soft breathing and Elijah’s hand combing through his hair, steady and soothing. “Their hate. Every time, I don’t think I can face it again.” His voice choked, and he swallowed. Elijah gave him all the time he needed, fingers still gentle, rubbing now over his temple in small, slow circles.

“I understand why they hate us,” he said at last. “I understand they’re afraid. But…why?” The first hot tear spilled, trickling over his nose and onto Elijah’s chest. “Why does it have to hurt so much?”

Elijah held him while he cried, and then tipped his face up to wipe the remaining tears from the corners of his eyes, and press a salty kiss onto Dom’s lips. “I know,” he whispered, touching their foreheads together and opening himself completely, offering Dom his support, his understanding, and his unconditional love. It settled around Dom like a blanket and he burrowed deeper, the pain easing as he surrounded himself with Elijah’s mind and presence.

 _I know,_ he heard Elijah whisper again, directly into his mind, and the pain faded away.

_Sometimes, the positives outweigh the negatives, and together two individuals can overcome the odds._


End file.
